


To lead and to follow

by thevaliantdust



Series: Tumblr Prompts [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 05:10:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6941197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thevaliantdust/pseuds/thevaliantdust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the part where Pike would lay down the law. She’d use her loud mom voice, the one that seemed disproportionate to her tiny frame, and everyone would just listen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To lead and to follow

**Author's Note:**

> ck-fauxst requested: Keyleth never realized how hard it was to keep people together until Pike wasn’t around to do it.

This is the part where Pike would lay down the law. She’d use her loud mom voice, the one that seemed disproportionate to her tiny frame, and everyone would just listen.

But Keyleth doesn't have a big voice, not like that. People tend to laugh or even cringe when she tries take charge. They certainly don't stop in their tracks, eyes wide with contrition and a healthy amount of fear. 

She supposes she could go all elemental Druid- rain down lighting and fire and terrifying gales. That usually inspires a bit of fear. But they are her friends, and they don't need to be fighting the elements as well as each other right now.

She doesn't even know how this all started, but here they are with Percy and Vax glaring daggers at each other across their campsite clearing. Vex stands equidistant between them, her arms folded and lips pursed into a supremely unimpressed scowl. Grog is shifting his gaze between the three of them, seemingly trying to decide which of them need to be put in a sleeper hold most. Scanlan flits between all the chaos, trying to be both the voice of reason and devil’s advocate, which is working out just about as well as one would expect.

And Keyleth sits. She’s tired of fighting; of arguing with her friends, her chosen family. These days all they do is bicker. And sure there is a lot going on and they're kinda trying to save the world from four giant chromatic dragons which adds a bit of stress, but they've been in hard times before and it has never been like this. 

(Because they've always had Pike, Keyleth thinks with no small measure of self-deprecation.)

She's supposed to be a leader-- she's born to it in fact-- but she has run out of words to say to try and fix this. So she sits.

Vax is the first to walk away, to absolutely no one's surprise. Vex huffs, looking between him and Percy for several moments before she stalks off after her brother, Trinket on her heels. 

Percy mutters something Keyleth can't quite catch, but she's pretty sure from his body language that it was a curse word of some sort. He glares at the retreating backs of the half elves before turning dramatically and stalking off in the other direction. He doesn't go far-- Keyleth can still hear when he stops and sits down with some force on a fallen tree trunk, just barely hidden by the tree line. 

Grog seems almost a little disappointed it didn't come to blows. Then again, it has been a long time since they fought something he could take down in one blow. Maybe he’s just tired of losing. He pulls out his axe, slamming it into the nearest tree with a resounding crack, before marching further into the trees, swinging as he goes.

Scanlan seems to be the only one that remembers she even exists. He walks up and puts a hand on her shoulder, gives her knowing grimace, then walks off in the one remaining direction left unwalked. As he goes he looks to be pulling out a notebook and writing tools. Another letter to Pike, she thinks, and she doesn’t quite understand the way her stomach tightens.

And Keyleth sits. She can’t bring herself to do anything else, not even lift her hands out of her lap. The sky darkens around her and still she sits. Her friends are truly far away now, she can’t even hear the metallic clinks of Percy’s tinkering. 

She sits until night creeps into her bones, until the ache of cold matches the ache in the pit of her stomach and then she shifts. She grows claws and teeth and fur and Minxie curls into a ball on that very same spot. 

In a much less predictable turn of events, Vax is also the first one to return. She smells his familiar scent long before she sees him, which is good because she may not have spotted him at all otherwise. The only thing lighter than his footfalls is the gentle touch he presses to the top of her feline head as he runs his fingers down her spine.

“I'm sorry Kiki,” he whispers, and Keyleth is so cold and so tired and so relieved he’s back that she doesn't care about the hours she waited or the tears she stubbornly refused to shed. She lifts her head and lays it in his lap, a paw draped over his leg as well. She feels his muscles relax under her, his fingers twist in her fur, his shaky exhale of the breath he’d been holding. 

She purrs softly, soothing them both.

Grog returns next, saying nothing when he sees the silent rogue with the tiger in his lap. He moves further into the clearing and starts building a fire. The sharp tang of blood hits Minxie’s nose and her head snaps up instinctively, spotting a few rabbits skinned and tied in a bunch next to the fire. Grog grins when he catches her looking at them. 

“Want yours cooked or do you just wanna eat it now?” He booms with some amusement. In answer she lays her head back down in Vax’s lap.

Scanlan makes it back next, possibly drawn by the rich scent of cooking meat. He doesn't say much, just pulls out his flute and begins an upbeat melody which Grog seems to enjoy.

Vex and Percy arrive back together, or perhaps it is better to say Vex leads Percy back to the clearing by the hand. Minxie feels Vax tense under her, but he only buries his fingers deeper in her fur, making no comment. Vex and Percy join the circle side by side.

There is a long moment of silence, even Scanlan’s flute playing dies down. No one quite wants to be the first to speak. Eventually Grog pulls the meat from the fire, and starts passing it around the group. The murmured “thank you”s break the tension enough for soft conversation to start up, and things slowly start to return to normal. Keyleth slips back into her shape and joins the quiet exchange.

It’s not perfect, not even close, but it’s something. They still wasted an entire day, and they still haven’t solved the issue that started it all, but at least they’re together again. It’ll have to be enough for now.

Keyleth’s not one for prayer, not much of a believer, but as she leans into Vax’s side watching him trading subdued words with Scanlan, she can’t help but hope Sarenrae will send Pike back to them soon.


End file.
